A caller to our office relayed the following scenario: I hired an Illinois work comp lawyer. My contract with them says I can terminate them for a reasonable fee. They are doing nothing for me so I want to get rid of them and get a new lawyer. They won’t return my phone calls or respond to my emails. I was told he needs to sign some form to get him off the case. How do I fire him? There’s a lot to unpack here. First off, when you hire an Illinois work comp attorney, everyone signs the same contract. It’s provided by the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission. It sounds like this terribl ..read more

Federal Express, or FedEx as it is known to almost everyone, employs a lot of people. Over 540,000 people work for FedEx. Many thousands of those work right here in Illinois. The shipping company is known for its air delivery service, FedEx Express, which gets packages to their destination overnight. FedEx also has FedEx Ground (think delivery trucks), FedEx Office (originally Kinko’s), and other services. Its main competitor is UPS. There are a variety of positions at FedEx that are critical to its daily operations. Pilots fly cargo planes across the country and delivery drivers drop off pack ..read more

I have the pleasure of talking to so many people every month. There are so many great questions that we get. One of them is a variation on, “What is the best thing I can do if I’m hurt while working?” The number one thing you can do if you are hurt at work and want to bring a work comp case is to get medical treatment as soon as possible. So many workers try to “tough it out” and avoid going to the doctor. I get it, I don’t like going to the doctor either. So instead, they take a lot of Advil and do the best they can until the pain becomes unbearable. Sometimes this plan works, but far too oft ..read more

If you have been seriously injured at work, it is important to understand the difference between workers compensation and social security disability benefits. Most workers don’t end up applying for social security, but if you do, not knowing the rules could cost you thousands of dollars. Workers compensation is a program to provide benefits to workers if they suffered a work-related illness or injury. Companies are required to have workers compensation insurance, so that an employee can file a workers compensation claim and receive a settlement to cover their medical expenses and lost wages. T ..read more

Not too long ago I had a call from someone that felt like it should be an April Fools call, but it wasn’t. Basically, the caller was worried about her son. He had received payment for being off work for three months, but apparently was on video, drunk and dancing at a party and joking about how he had faked a work injury so he didn’t have to work all winter. Apparently the insurance company has become aware of this video. Mom was calling because her son told her he wanted to get a lawyer to get a settlement. Some thoughts on this: There is zero chance an insurance company is going to offer hi ..read more

Nothing sets me off more than insurance companies and employers blatantly lying to injured workers about their rights. I heard a terrible lie a worker was told lately. It’s honestly one of the worst ones I’ve ever been told. This worker tore their rotator cuff and has been treating with the company doctor only. He wanted to see his own orthopedic doctor, but the workers comp coordinator at his company told him, “That’s a really bad idea. It will delay things and the insurance company won’t pay for it anyway.” What really happened is that the company doctor has been delaying things. He made the ..read more

I just don’t get some lawyers. It’s usually the older ones who do the dumbest things, and that is exactly what happened to a recent caller to my office. She had a major injury which requires back surgery. She hired a lawyer who has over 40 years of experience and a reputation as a crotchety asshole. I get the sense he doesn’t like being a lawyer anymore so sadly it appears that he takes out his frustrations on his clients. Her benefits got cut off after an independent medical exam (IME) said she the surgery she needs isn’t related to her job. She had a question about that and what she should d ..read more

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